Philadelphia Flyers activate Owen Tippett off IR, will return to lineup on Tuesday

The 24-year-old will be in the lineup for the Flyers’ first game after the NHL All-Star break on Tuesday night, as they take on Tippett’s former team, the Florida Panthers.

Tippett had been out of the lineup since he suffered a lower-body injury against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 20. He was battling for the puck with Jonathan Drouin, with Tippett’s right leg getting caught underneath him as he fell awkwardly into the boards.

Shortly thereafter, Tippett was placed on IR, and has missed the last four games. Philadelphia lost their final five games heading in the break, including getting smacked 6-2 by the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins, 6-2, on Jan. 27.

The time on the shelf was not all that bad for Tippett, as he signed an eight-year contract extension on Jan. 26, with an AAV of $6.2 million.

Since being acquired by the Flyers in the trade sent Claude Giroux to the Cats in 2022, Tippett has slowly grown into the top-six threat that he was projected to be coming out of junior. He is on pace to have a career-best season, having notched 18 goals and 12 assists in 46 games, well on pace to reach the 30-goal mark for the first time in his four-year career.

The former Saginaw Spirit star came close last season, scoring 27 goals and 29 points in his first full campaign with Philly. In 238 career games, Tippett has scored 63 goals and 56 assists.

The Flyers (25-19-6) come out of the break third in the Metropolitan Division, two points ahead of the fourth-place New York Islanders, and nine behind the New York Rangers for first.